The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 7 Round 9)

Can you believe that the seventh season of Last Resort Films is already entering its final round? Here's the second to last Roundup of Season 7.....

3. The Carpet Makers
It's not every day that such an ambitious and "out there" sci-fi film is released. The casting is great, and the story is something I've never seen the likes of on the big screen. It was also nice to see Bong Joon-ho get his first big budget Hollywood film - even if wasn't a traditional effort.

2. Start of the LRF 100
The LRF 100 is an endeavor by the studio that I am really intrigued by. The first category released was the Top Soundtracks category. The big surprise was such a recent film like Revolution having enough support to garner the top spot in the category. It just goes to show how well John Malone planned out that soundtrack.

1. Plastic Man
Plastic Man makes two comedic characters for the studio's DC Universe alongside Booster Gold. It will be very interesting to see if they both appear in the in-the-works Justice League International team-up film. Glenn Howerton manages to make for a comedic leading man, but in a completely different style than Billy Magnussen in Booster Gold. The sarcastic and sardonic wit of Plastic Man makes it truly stand out, even among other superhero comedies.

3. Box Office Disappointment of The Carpet Makers
It's a bummer that such a unique film failed to attract an audience. I understand that the story isn't especially marketable, and mostly appeals to a more mature audience that isn't especially likely to see a sci-fi/fantasy film on the big screen.

2. Eleanor & Park Casting
Normally I don't comment on a film's casting progress until the film is released, but the first casting announcement for Eleanor & Park is definitely a head-scratcher. In the book, the Eleanor is described as a chubby, 16-year-old with big red hair, but then they go ahead and cast  beautiful 21-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz. Apparently the filmmakers involved with casting the film didn't learn anything from Moretz's casting in the Carrie remake...

1. Length of Dark Places
There were some strong aspects in H.G. Hansen and Cary Fukunaga's Dark Places, but the length was a big knock against it. There simply isn't enough story to warrant such a lengthy film. The film could have cut back on some extraneous details and some of the flashbacks that don't move the plot forward.